rps

I will share three anecdotes, but only because you asked. First, like many of you, I fish because my father got me interested. He loved to fish even though he really wasn't that skilled. However he was enthusiastic and he was my father, and time with him was precious. I remember a trip to Tenkiller in 1960 or 61. I was 11 or 12 and he was getting me ready to go to Canada with him for the first time. As he put the boat in the water at daybreak, I caught my first ever bass on a plastic worm. It wasn't much - maybe 10 inches - but I caught it right there beside the ramp on a Creme propellor blade rubber worm. Second, in law school I became friends with a Viet Nam veteran from the Talequah area named Ken Rainbolt. I owned my father's hand me down 18 horse Evinrude Fasttwin. Ken convinced me to fish Tenkiller with him and we drove from Norman to there on more than one occasion. The Spring we were in our last year in law school, we took the bar exam early, before graduation. We both passed which meant we only had to pass our few remaining classes to become licensed lawyers. I needed to pass 7 out of 9 hours I was taking. He had to pass 10 out of 12. We fished a lot that Spring. Over Spring break we went to Tenkiller and stayed at a broken spring motel. We fished for crappie and took our limits on two days running - 37 each. We hand filleted them. We took them back to Norman. When we got home we dug a pit in the courtyard of Ken's apartment complex and used a 55 gallon drum to fry all the crappie for our graduating class and professors to celebrate passing the bar. Interesting night, that one. Last, after Oklahoma began to actively introduce Stripers, one of the best locations to fish for them was in the Illinois River, just downstream from the Tenkiller dam. The stripers loved the stocked rainbow and the oxygenated water. In the early 80's I was fishing on the Illinois out of the Gore, Oklahoma ramp. I saw a swirl near an island in the river. I cast a Dixie Jet spoon to the swirl and hooked up - with a beaver. He was angry, smacked the water several times with his tail, and took off down stream. I had to cut the line to prevent him from spooling me. Tenkiller is more than a lake to me.

Bill - tried to send you a message but could not get through. Friend visiting the 24th. Are you available?

There are many who know more than I do, but i will add what I do know. If the spoon has an EWG gap with a point pointed in from horizatal, do not set the hook. Just reel and lift. If the hooks are short shank/round bend trebles, then sweep up and keep the pressure on. Anything else? Sweep and hope.

I loved Tenkiller when I lived in Oklahoma.

Marcella has written/published two very good cookbooks on real Italian for Americans. Her sauce has tomatoes, butter, onion, salt and pepper. At the end, you discard the onion. Simple and very very good, especially if you start with the San Marzano. I add garli and a touch of red pepper flakes then use the sauce as a base for whatever else I plan.

Solid advice ^.

BTW, search Marcella Hazen sauce and read about her method for sauce. I encourage you to try it.

Very well executed, especially for a first attempt with sour dough. Your crust preference differs from ours - a thin and crisp crust with little puffiness at the edge. But I recognize skill when I see it. Bravo.

Day trip down here to Eureka Springs, a Victorian era spa town with hundreds of eccentric crafts and oddities shops but few chains.

I believe in taking responsibility for my actions. I model this as often as I can for my students. For the second straight trip with a good fisherman on Beaver, our boat blanked on desireable fish. Short bass and catfish only. I know I am now doomed to no more invitations as I evidentally curse any boat I am in, but it is what it is. Feathers and Fins (Scott) put us in excellent areas. I saw the baitfish and the predator fish on his electronics. Nothing, Nada, Zilch. Except catfish. Can you imagine how well people could catch catfish without a Jonah in the boat? Thanks Scott. I had a great time.

Scott gave me some in the boat today. It was very good. He does not cut his meat too thin so you do not need to soak it before you eat it. I had some of his goose as well. It ws a different flavor but I liked it also.

If a braise can tame sheep shanks and ox tail, it can handle deer. I think a shank braise is one of the best meals off an animal. I am glad you tried it.

Nice Brown!

Last winter I learned to listen to Snowbird Bob. He is not very optimistic.

I am very happy with my rig and pleased it sits in a slip ready to go on a moments notice. I like the fact that everything works when I ask. Is it clean and polished? No. I do not spend that time. Nor do I wash crawlers. Terry is on top of that.I admire that.

I am there at the Prairie Creek ramp at daybreak when tanderson pulls up. 18 foot Triton with a Mercury main motor and kicker and stainless steel props. I look inside and the console and trolling motor both have two large HD Lowrance units each. When I get in the boat, the whole thing looks like it has been wiped with diapers and lambskin its entire life. He had separate bait buckets with washed crawlers for each of us. I was thinking, "oh man, this makes me look so hillbilly." We fished hard 6 AM to 330 PM and saw lots of the lake. I had a great time. I figure, if he can't find walleye on Beaver and we blank, maybe it was a tough day.

Don't know him, but if you say he needs prayer, he has mine.

Today was a school day. See my green skin?

Put equal parts butter and olive oil in a skillet and melt. The desired depth is between 1/4 inch and 1/3 inch. Heat until very warm/hot. Gently slide seasoned walleye fillets into the oil and cook on a very low heat setting. You do not want to hear the sizzle or brown the fish at all. Cook on the first side until the fillet is opaque on the bottom 1/3rd. Turn the fish with a spatula and cook four minutes. Add a drained and rinsed can of cannelloni beans and 12 cut up cherry tomatoes. Cook until the fish is done and turn off the heat. While the fish mixture sits in the pan, toss salad leaves in a light coating of olive oil and place in the service bowl or plate. Spoon the beans and tomatoes onto the leaves. Place the fillet on top. Sprinkle seaoned vinegar or lemon juice over the plate.

Striper is excellent food. I always remove the red meat, just like on white bass, but I prefer the clean taste that results. Striper or white bass is excellent in the fish burgers I have posted before.

Out with tanderson in the morning. I hope we will be able to file apositive report.

I think I taught that guy. Didn't teach him much, though.

Hard? No, impossible.

Oh my goodness, what flattery. Matt, what I know I learned by reading posts of others and trying things. I tried to put large amounts of that in the articles the others have linked. For a right now tidbit, I saw pictures this week of fish caught on a jigged spoon on the bottom in 50 feet of water. Next Saturday I am fishing on Beaver with tanderson and I will report. BS, Beaver, and TR are rarely that different. Good luck. p.s. walleye dudes include tanderson, feathers and fins, kjackson, powerdive, and mikeworley

Check out the posts by Champ188, Quillback, and of course Mr. Babler. Several others who post are extra fine fishermen, but these guys give away great advice prolifically.